


Shatter Me

by StarvingMe



Series: Destiny Is Fluid [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: AU for my AU, Dark spin on the Inquisition, F/M, Inquisitor that is not the Inquisitor, Positive Samson?, Sad, standalone story, very dark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-17
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-04-04 19:35:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4150227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarvingMe/pseuds/StarvingMe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if the Herald never became the Inquisitor?  What if no one believed it was Andraste in the Fade?  What if the Herald was kept a prisoner of the Inquisition, blamed for the state the world was in?  Instead of open adulation, the Herald is spoken of in whispers and quiet prayers in backrooms.  So few believe this woman, who came from nowhere, was touched by grace, and even fewer are willing to fight to free her.</p><p>AU for Rio Maximillian, from Her Destiny Lies Elsewhere.  STANDALONE STORY.  All you need to know is that Rio is from Earth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Waking Up

**Author's Note:**

> (I'm sorry for anyone that likes Rio, it's the same Rio from Her Destiny Lies Elsewhere, this is really just an exercise in what I can't currently do to her--which is tear her down bit by bit and then make her whole again.)
> 
> This comes from the deepest, darkest corners of my brain. I thought I got this out of my system when I wrote The Hanging Tree prompt, but then I got intrigued by Samson--and so this is becoming a side-thing. There will be smut. It is just dark and sad until then. For Samson Positivity (I know I'm past the day, whatever, it's never too late to be positive towards Samson).
> 
> Also, I know there's really no cure once you start growing red lyrium--beyond death--but just... bear with me.
> 
> An AU where the Herald does NOT become the Inquisitor and in fact remains imprisoned. Dark things, bad things, possibly non-con later, I'm sorry.

I don't know what I expected when I woke up here.

Well, I guess I didn't expect to be cuffed, chained, and dragged out of a dungeon... I didn't even remember how I got there, and it didn't seem like they cared to find out. I didn't expect to be bruised and battered, and I didn't expect to find a glowing mark on my hand that lanced sharp pain up my arm and across my chest.

They were all mad at me. Every face I passed, every unfamiliar sneer that greeted me out in that cold mountain air, just drilled it into me that everyone was mad at me. That I was to blame for something big and nasty...

Well, it was probably the hole in the sky. At the very least, that was part of it. Gagged and bound as I was, I couldn't even protest when they brought me close to it.

The huge thing that came out of the rift made me scream. I tried to run, but they caught me and pulled me back as the others fought and took down the beast. Whatever it was, it shot sparks and lashed out at them as if they were ants, right up until it fell. I worried I would be next when I was instructed to close the Breach, to seal it tight and stop more demons from coming through.

Honestly didn't think I could have fucked that up, ya know? But somehow, I, Rio, managed to do just that. It stopped growing, which was probably the only reason they didn't kill me right away, but in the end, I was still thrown back in my jail cell after I failed to close the Breach.

Things didn't get any better... If anything things got worse. Much worse. I told myself as I sat in my jail cell, night after night, that I would never take my tiny apartment for granted again if I could just go home. I was rarely allowed visitors, and if I fought or struggled, they would take away my food. A crust of bread and barely enough food to keep my strength up, but goddammit, I felt like I was wasting away when they refused to feed me.

Others came and went. There was the Seeker, Pentacost or something, always scowling and rough with her. There was the Commander, whose face might've been handsome if his eyes weren't the coldest shade of amber I'd ever seen. Damn. What a shame, to be so hated by someone so pretty. The Spymaster was pretty too, but goddamn, if looks could kill, I woulda been dead a long time ago.

The diplomat was at least kind of nice to me. Josephine was her name. She looked like she believed me, or at least, I think she did... Guess it didn't really matter, in the end...

There was an elf that came and studied the mark. He rarely said anything, simply staring at it from every angle as I was forced to stand very still against the bars with my arm stretched out. Solas, the guards called him. Funny, I thought it was Soulless at first. He'd been in good spirits when we'd met on the mountainside, but he was quiet and distant now. That's right, keep your thoughts to yourself. Not like I needed a friend... Not like anyone believed me when I told them who I was...

The dwarf that came was probably the closest thing to a friend I was going to get. He asked me about myself, about where I was from, and he didn't scoff and mock me for it. But he only visited me twice—after that, the Seeker told me that “Master Tethras was no longer permitted near the cells”. There was a rumor around the guards that he'd tried to stage a coup to get me out. Guess it didn't work out so well...

Another man came after a while. Greywall, I think, of the Black Wardens? No, wait, that wasn't right... Blackwall, Grey Wardens. Yeah, that's it. God, these people had some strange titles. I didn't know what a Warden did, and I tried to ask him what makes a warden grey, but I guess he didn't like that. He went from almost sympathetic to scowling under all that hair and stormed out of the dungeon without so much as a goodbye.

There was only one man that really scared me, though. He was big, and mean-looking, grey-skin, scarred, and bearing an eye-patch. He looked me up and down and I wished I could hide more under the thin blanket I'd wrapped around myself. The part that scared me the most were his horns—big and pointy, like a bull's, and very much real. What was this guy? He didn't really talk a lot, just muttered a few things to the guard before he left.

Another elf pushed her way in, saying she wanted to see me herself, and she cursed up a storm until they let her in. She was a tiny thing, with blonde hair and a foul mouth on her, but she seemed nice enough for a couple of minutes, until she found out I was a mage. Hell, I didn't even know I was one until someone said something. By then, of course, it was too late—Sera couldn't bolt out of there fast enough. After a lifetime of wishing I was special, that I was somebody, I was starting to see that it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be...

The worst part was the nightmares. Green light flooded my eyes, skittering sounds echoing in my head when I thrashed in my cell. A few times, I woke up to find my blankets smoldering around me. They stopped replacing my sleeping mat after I woke up one night and had set it on fire in my sleep. That was new to me. I didn't know what the hell a mage was, but apparently, the setting of things on fire was not uncommon. One time, a guard spat at me after I tried to curl up on the ashy remains of my blanket, said I deserved to be made Tranquil for what I did.

I wish I hadn't asked. Why the fuck did I have to ask? I would've been fine not knowing... 

The worst part was that they held it over me after that. They knew what I was afraid of—not just dying anymore, after the things I'd seen, but of still being alive, trapped in my own skin. I made myself sick a few times, worrying that they really would do that to me. I fucked up so badly, whatever I don't remember doing now, that I was almost certain they were waiting for the right time.

The night I closed the hole in the sky, the really big one that was so close, I could hear it rumbling in my cell, I thought that was going to be the end of it. The other mages, the ones that were free, not Tranquil, but not cursed with this mark, they were finding other ways to weaken and close the rifts, and they were starting to succeed. I was running out of time, and the guards knew it.

It was to be a hanging.

 


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fall of Haven.

Part Two

 

 

When the bells started to ring, I could hear people yelling outside.  Huddling back in the corner of my cell, I tried to blend into the stone, willing everyone to forget about me.  Maybe they wouldn’t really remember I was there?  Maybe I would be safe here in my cell, rather than be thrown to an angry mob if I just stayed quiet...

The guards looked nervously at each other as I watched them, and I felt a surge of panic.  Something was wrong, I could see it in their eyes.  Frowning, I shifted just a little closer, watching as all four of them ran for the door.  At first, I was relieved that they’d left, until I realized that it meant I was still trapped, and the sounds of a battle echoed down the steps.  Standing up, I moved to lean on the bars, muttering, “What the frell is going on...?”

“You!” a soft voice urged, making me jump as I turned to find some guy in a weird hat. 

“ _Holy shit_ , where did you come from?!” I half-shouted, stepping away from him as he reached for the door, looking at me with pale blue-grey eyes. 

“You’re the Herald!” he said, his eyes pleading at me to listen.  “I came to warn you, to help!  The Templars... the mages... they’re coming for you!”

“Wh-what?!” I cried, trying to keep my distance from him as he rattled the door, hands struggling to pick the lock.  “But... wh-why?!”

“You made them angry,” he said, trying to work quickly as I watched him.  “You took something, and they want it back...”

“But...” I said softly, my voice almost lost over the growing din outside, “I.. I didn’t take anything...”

The sound of a door crashing open made me jump, footsteps rushing down the steps as I tried to look around the bars to see who was coming.  Glancing back, I blinked as I realized I was alone in the room again before the guards filed back into the room, looking tense and anxious.  It wasn’t until I realized the handsome one with the lip-scar was with them that it dawned on me that this was serious.  Stepping back from the door as one of the guards hurried to unlock it, I swallowed heavily, leaning against the wall. 

“H-hey, guys... um...  Long time, no see...  What, uh... what’s going on?” I tried to ask, ears flicking a little as I looked at their tense faces, squeaking a little when Cullen ordered two of the guards to grab me.  “Wait, please, I—there’s been a misunderstanding!  I, I did a good thing!  I helped!  I’m s-still helpful!” I couldn’t help struggling as they took hold of my arms, yanking me out of my cell as I fought them.  I managed to keep them from taking me very far, digging in my heels and flailing my arms when they tried to tie my hands behind my back.  Once the shackles were back in place, I started to scream, willing someone, anyone to come and help me.

I didn’t see the swing of his arm, just saw the stars that danced across my vision when he backhanded me.  The taste of copper exploded in my mouth as I stumbled, falling to the floor as I tried to catch myself.  I reached for my face, just as that same hand grabbed the back of my tunic, hauling me to my feet and roughly shoving me towards the door.  I stumbled a few times, wincing as I felt my hair catch in Cullen’s armor.  He was furious, even more than usual as he pushed me about.  My head was still spinning as I was yanked up the stairs and forced out into the open.

Once outside, I could see the battle being waged around me, hulking monsters of red crystal rushing at the Inquisition forces.  I almost wanted to cheer, to spit on the soldiers that had kept me locked up—until I saw a man cleaved in two in front of me.  I lost my voice, then.

When I tried to balk, Cullen yanked hard, dragging me forward as I tried to shout for help, trying to get myself free.  I didn’t know what they were planning to do, exactly, but it wasn’t going to be good...

The battle hit a lull as I was pulled out of the gates and shoved towards a stake planted in the ground.  The camp around us burned, the red-crystal creatures falling as the guards tied me roughly to the stake.  “The bulk of the army is still coming,” Cullen said as the ropes were secured, even as I struggled weakly to get free.  “We don’t have the numbers to stop them, we’ll have to make a run for it.  And you,” he said, leveling that cold gaze on me as a rag was shoved in my mouth and knotted into my hair, “will be the distraction.”

He cut off my screams with another sharp back-handed slap, instructing his soldiers where they needed to position themselves as my heart pounded in my chest.  Even though no one listened, the men rushing around me as if I wasn’t there, I started to scream, tears falling down my face as I begged for someone, anyone, to cut me loose.  It wasn’t until I overheard the plans that I started to panic, struggling hard as I could against my bonds.

They were going to bury the army in an avalanche, and me along with it. I tried to fight, to lash out at them, but a rag was pressed over my mouth and nose, the smell of sickly-sweet flowers drowning my senses, and then I only knew darkness again.

  


* * *

  


When I started to come to, I could hear voices, but my head throbbed painfully and I couldn't make them out. Something cold touched my chin and I was vaguely aware of my head being tilted up. Flinching, I tried to blink the fog away as I looked down a broadsword at a man who didn't stay in focus for long. All I could make out were amber eyes, and for a moment, I thought Cullen had come back to finish the job, and I bit back a sob.

Good. Finally, it would end.

“Oh, dear, Raleigh,” a soft voice said, making me twitch just a little. “Do you make all the girls cry at the sight of your face, or just the pretty ones?”

“Shut it, Calpernia,” a harsh voice replied as I tried to focus again. Not Cullen? No, too pale for that, and dark hair, eyes that looked hounded, dogged even. Not cold amber.

There were more voices as I tried to push the headache aside, trying to keep up with the discussion. A trap? She was trying to remember, there was something important, she felt like she should... probably tell them... The woman took my face in her hands, frowning at what she was there before she reached up to untie the cloth. The knot took a few tugs to come free, my hair tangled with it as I flinched and whimpered, telling myself not to cry, just hold still for a little while...

The cloth fell away and I stretched my jaw for a moment before I managed to cough, “A-avalanche...”

A loud clunk, woosh, and sudden silence followed as I flinched, looking around blearily as the world exploded into movement. For a moment, I thought I would be left, and I tried to look over my shoulder to see what was happening before I suddenly came free from the pole. I wasn't able to catch myself in time before arms grabbed me, gathering me up and carrying me off. There was a distant but growing roar somewhere around me, and the cold iron against my face rumbled with it as I tried to reach up to cover my ears. I was jostled and bounced, and I couldn't see anything but flashes of red and white and leather before I was suddenly falling, tumbling ass over teakettle into darkness. I remembered something hitting me hard and oblivion swallowed me before I landed.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously this is supposed to be a very short fic. Sorry it takes so long to write it, I might have to switch to third-person because first-person is hard to do for long...


End file.
